\u3ci\u3eCTENOSAURA SIMILIS\u3c/i\u3e (Black Spiny-tailed Iguana) PREDATION

The Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. Krieger Publishing Co., Malabar, Florida. 155 pp.). In particular, they were released on Gasparilla Island (Charlotte and Lee Counties) 3&35 years ago, where they are now abundant (Krysko et al. 2003. Florida Sci. 66:141-146). This species may pose a threat to a number of endemic threatened and endangered species on Gasparilla Island such as eggs of nesting shore birds, beach mice, hatchling sea turtles and gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) (Krysko et al., op. cit.), but to date, local predators on C. similis are unreported (Meshaka et al., op. cit.). Indigenous predators might exert one controlling influence on exotic Florida herpetofauna (Butterfield et al. 1997. In Simberloff et al. [eds.], Strangers in Paradise, pp. 123-138. Island Press, Washington, DC). Hence, we report evidence of Bobcat (Felis rufus) predation on C. similis on Gasparilla Island

Transient Thermal Model and Analysis of the Lunar Surface and Regolith for Cryogenic Fluid Storage

A transient thermal model of the lunar surface and regolith was developed along with analytical techniques which will be used to evaluate the storage of cryogenic fluids at equatorial and polar landing sites. The model can provide lunar surface and subsurface temperatures as a function of latitude and time throughout the lunar cycle and season. It also accounts for the presence of or lack of the undisturbed fluff layer on the lunar surface. The model was validated with Apollo 15 and Clementine data and shows good agreement with other analytical models

Development of a Health Related Quality of Life Measure for Adolescents and Young Adults Following Invasive Meningococcal Disease

This study describes the key areas that matter to adolescent survivors of Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD). Satisfaction with Life After Meningitis is a brief multidimensional measure of health related quality of life that is reliable and correlates with criterion variables in a theoretically meaningful way. To develop a Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) measure for adolescent and young adult survivors of (IMD) we used a cross-sectional study and focus groups. The study was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1 a pool of potential items were generated based on the following: a review of existing measures, focus groups with IMD survivors, and an expert group consultation. Phase 2 involved administration of the questionnaire to a sample of adolescent and young adult IMD survivors. Factor analysis suggested a correlated four factor solution: Wellbeing, Positive about Future, Social Support, and Confidence. These factors were significantly correlated in a theoretically predictable way with scores from the Beck Depression Inventory (correlations ranged from −0.77 to −0.81) and the eight domains of the SF-36 Health Survey (correlations ranged from 0.32 to 0.79). The reliability of all subscales was high ranging from 0.85 to 0.92. The Satisfaction with Life After Meningitis (SLAM) questionnaire is a HRQoL self-report measure that produces reliable scores and is appropriate for use with young survivors of IMD. There is also evidence of concurrent validity with existing measures of physical and psychological well-being

Glycine transport inhibitors for the treatment of pain.

Opioids, local anesthetics, anticonvulsant drugs, antidepressants, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to provide pain relief but they do not provide adequate pain relief in a large proportion of chronic pain patients and are often associated with unacceptable side effects. Inhibitory glycinergic neurotransmission is impaired in chronic pain states, and this provides a novel target for drug development. Inhibitors of the glycine transporter 2 (GlyT2) enhance inhibitory neurotransmission and show particular promise for the treatment of neuropathic pain. N-arachidonyl-glycine (NAGly) is an endogenous lipid that inhibits glycine transport by GlyT2 and also shows potential as an analgesic, which may be further exploited in drug development. In this review we discuss the role of glycine neurotransmission in chronic pain and future prospects for the use of glycine transport inhibitors in the treatment of pain.NHMRC Grant: 104596

Prognostic Biomarkers for Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease Risk after Cyclophosphamide–Fludarabine Nonmyeloablative Allotransplantation

AbstractFive candidate plasma biomarkers (suppression of tumorogenesis 2 [ST2], regenerating islet-derived-3α [REG3α], elafin, tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 [TNFR1], and soluble IL-2 receptor-alpha [sIL2Rα]) were measured at specific time points after cyclophosphamide/fludarabine-based nonmyeloablative allotransplantation (NMAT) in patients who did or did not develop acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). Plasma samples from 34 patients were analyzed at days +7, +14, +21, and +30. At a median follow-up of 358 days, 17 patients had experienced aGVHD with a median time to onset at day +36. Risk of aGVHD was associated with elevated plasma ST2 concentrations at day +7 (c-statistic = .72, P = .03), day +14 (c-statistic = .74, P = .02), and day +21 (c-statistic = .75, P = .02); elevated plasma REG3α concentrations at day +14 (c-statistic = .73, P = .03), day +21 (c-statistic = .76, P = .01), and day +30 (c-statistic = .73, P = .03); and elevated elafin at day +14 (c-statistic = .71, P = .04). Plasma concentrations of TNFR1 and sIL2Rα were not associated with aGVHD risk at any of the time points studied. This study identified ST2, REG3α, and elafin as prognostic biomarkers to evaluate risk of aGVHD after cyclophosphamide/fludarabine-based NMAT. These results need to be confirmed in an independent validation cohort

Modeling study of human renal chloride channel (hCLC-5) mutations suggests a structural-functional relationship

Modeling study of human renal chloride channel (hCLC-5) mutations suggests a structural-functional relationship.BackgroundDent's disease, a renal tubular disorder characterized by low-molecular-weight proteinuria, hypercalciuria, and nephrolithiasis, is due to inactivating mutations in the X-linked renal-specific chloride channel, hCLC-5. The x-ray crystal structures of two bacterial chloride channels (CLCs) have recently been established, thereby allowing us to construct a model for hCLC-5 and further examine the role of its mutations.MethodsThe data regarding 49 hCLC-5 mutations were reviewed. Thirty-four mutations that predicted absent or truncated channels were excluded. The remaining 15 mutations (one in-frame insertion and 14 missense mutations), 12 of which have been studied electrophysiologically, were assessed. The hCLC-5 sequence was aligned with the Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli sequences and used to map the hCLC-5 mutations onto a three-dimensional model.ResultshCLC-5 is a homodimeric protein, with each subunit consisting of 18 helices. None of the missense mutations involved the chloride (Cl−) selectivity filter, but 12 of the 15 mutations were found to be clustered at the interface of the two subunits. Six of these mutations occurred in two of the helices that either form part of the interface or lie in close proximity to the interface, and three other mutations that did not lead to complete loss of Cl− conductance were at the edge of the interface.ConclusionThese results demonstrate a crucial role for the interaction between the two subunits at the interface of the homodimeric hCLC-5

Personalized Depression Prevention: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Optimize Effects Through Risk-Informed Personalization

Objective: To evaluate whether evidence-based depression prevention programs can be optimized by matching youths to interventions that address their psychosocial vulnerabilities. Method: This randomized controlled trial included 204 adolescents (mean [SD] age ¼ 14.26 [1.65] years; 56.4% female). Youths were categorized as high or low on cognitive and interpersonal risks for depression and randomly assigned to Coping With Stress (CWS), a cognitive-behavioral program, or Interpersonal Psychotherapy–Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), an interpersonal program. Some participants received a match between risk and prevention (eg, high cognitive–low interpersonal risk teen in CWS, low cognitive–high interpersonal risk teen in IPT-AST), others received a mismatch (eg, low cognitive-high interpersonal risk teen in CWS). Outcomes were depression diagnoses and symptoms through 18 months postintervention (21 months total). Results: Matched adolescents showed significantly greater decreases in depressive symptoms than mismatched adolescents from postintervention through 18-month follow-up and across the entire 21-month study period (effect size [d] ¼ 0.44, 95% CI ¼ 0.02, 0.86). There was no significant difference in rates of depressive disorders among matched adolescents compared with mismatched adolescents (12.0% versus 18.3%, t193 ¼ .78, p ¼ .44). Conclusion: This study illustrates one approach to personalizing depression prevention as a form of precision mental health. Findings suggest that risk-informed personalization may enhance effects beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. Clinical trial registration information: Bending Adolescent Depression Trajectories Through Personalized Prevention; https://www.clinicaltrials. gov/; NCT01948167

Textile applications of commercial photochromic dyes: part 7. A statistical investigation of the influence of photochromic dyes on the mechanical properties of thermoplastic fibres

The influence of the concentration of a commercial photochromic dye, incorporated into as-spun and drawn fibres produced from polyethylene and polypropylene, on their mechanical properties was investigated. As-spun fibres were produced by incorporating a commercial photochromic dye at different concentrations at the extrusion stage of the production process of polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester. The fibres from polypropylene and polyethylene, which showed photochromism when exposed to UV light, were then drawn, and their mechanical properties evaluated and analysed using a factorial experimental design, applying appropriate statistical methods. No further investigation was carried out on the polyester as the dye appeared to degrade at the higher temperatures required for its extrusion, leading to a brown fibre, which was not photochromic. According to the analyses, the most significant parameter influencing the mechanical properties of the as-spun fibres was the polymer type; the effect of the dye concentration was dominated by the significance of the polymer type. The effects of the multi-stage hot-drawing process used to produce the fibres on the mechanical properties of the drawn polypropylene and polyethylene fibres were characterised and statistically modelled. It was found that the dyeing concentration had a negative effect on the tenacity and the modulus of the drawn polypropylene fibres but a positive effect on the tenacity and the modulus of the drawn polyethylene fibres. A dye concentration of 0.2% on mass of polymer had a positive effect on the elongation of the drawn polypropylene and polyethylene fibres, whereas the higher dye concentration of 0.4% had a negative effect on the elongation of both drawn fibres. A new forecasting data source was obtained to optimise the selection of the polymer and the dye concentration and to specify the direction of modification, either increasing or decreasing, the significant process parameters